Rocking Chairs And Lullabies
by Purple Satin
Summary: How are Kate and Rick dealing with the up coming birth of their first born? Rick has a secret that he's keeping from Kate. He's not only hiding things from her, but is he lying to her, also? If so, why? Read on find out.


A/N All I own is a vivid imagination and great love for the hit tv show, Castle All rights belong to our fabulous Creator Thank you , Andrew Marlowe and team and ABC.

Sequel to ' The Gift," " Kate's Journal " " Sushi, Strawberry Shakes, And S'morelets " " Rick's Book Launch Party" Hope you all enjoy and as always all comments are welcome and appreciated. My apologies for the delay in the update due to writer's block and pc problems.

Credit: Walt Disney for lyrics " Baby Mine"

Rocking Chairs And Lullabies

He was in the kitchen preparing dinner when Kate entered the loft.

" Hey. You're preparing salmon for dinner tonight? ", she asked , dropping her bag onto the easy chair.

" Yes. Just the way you like it," he replied, coming from behind the counter to kiss her hello.

He felt the strong, solid blow from her abdomen as he hugged her. " Whoa! That was some kick. Maybe, he's going to be a quarter back. Or a cop with super hero capabilities." he said.

" Yeah. He's been kicking me all day. This time it was to my kidneys. I have to make a trip to the bathroom like right now. I'll be right back," she said, hurrying from the room.

He watched his wife as she waddled away. She was always hot, sexy as hell and even more so pregnant.

Watching her navigate around the loft was still both adorable and his favorite pastime. And he loved teasing her about her waddling gait even though, she found his teasing on the annoying side.

He had just put the salmon in the oven to bake when she joined him again in the kitchen.. She sat at the counter and asked, " Any progress on the secret lair / nursery today? "

Trying to hide his smile, he turned away from her.

" Um, actually no, not yet ." he answered. And here it comes. Booh ya ! he thought.

" Why the hell not? We agreed a month ago that was the most obvious choice for the nursery and you have stonewalled me at every turn. I'm beginning to think that you don't want our baby. "

Oh, yeah. Kate's pregnancy hormones were full throttle tonight. Good. He'd been counting on that.

She knew that she was being irrational , but with her hormones and emotions in overdrive, she couldn't help it.

" What ? No ! That's crazy ! Of Course, I want him. Why would you even think that ?"

" Oh, I don't know. Maybe it's because I feel like I could pop him out any minute and we'd still not have a room for him ! What are we going to do ? Put him in a drawer in our room ? " she asked sarcastically, wagging her head in that cute, whimsical way when she jealous, or insecure.

" What ? No ! That's crazy ! " he exclaimed.

" Then what, Rick ?"

Alexis was coming down the stairs and came in at the end of their conversation.

" He's procrastinating again. Dad, you're causing Kate undue stress. Stop procrastinating and just do it."

" Okay. Okay, I will , but not tomorrow. I have meetings with Gina and Paula tomorrow and I probably won't get home until about dinner time. But I promise, I'll work on it this week-end. " he stated.

" So, what Disney theme are you going with in the nursery?" Alexis asked.

" We still haven't decided, yet. Your dad wants ' Superheroes.' I'd like a ' Cars ' theme or maybe ' Winnie The Pooh and Friends ' , . " Kate replied, gasping as she rubbed the upper side of her abdomen, trying to catch her breath.

" Oh! ' Cars' sounds like it would be so cute. ", Alexis said.

" Actually, I've been thinking about that , too, . And the more I think about it, the more I like it " Kate said.

" That's actually a good idea, 'Cars..' I like it." Rick said

They had been discussing the nursery for a month now and had looked at so many different themes, looked at baby cribs, rocking chairs, changing tables, chests, and while they still had not bought anything, he had a secret plan in place .

During their baby window shopping, he had hung back and watched to take notice of Kate's likes and dislikes. They had both agreed on the cherry wood grain furniture , but that was as far as they had gotten , or so Kate thought

When they had been looking at themes, he'd throw one crazy idea at a time at her, only to earn her eye rolls and scathing looks.

Kate turned to look at him. " WOW! I can't believe that we've actually agreed on something concerning our son, " she said , haughtily.

Wincing again, she pushed herself up from the bar stool and said, " Our son is using my kidneys for a punching bag, so If you'll l excuse me again, I need to go to the bathroom again."

Upon leaving the room, she completely missed the fist bump exchanged between father and daughter.

* * *

" Is everything still a go for tomorrow?" Alexis asked.

" Yeah The furniture has all been delivered and is under lock and key in the nursery Eduardo is coming in on his day off tomorrow to assemble what needs to be assembled Kate thinks that I've got meetings all day with Gina and Paula…."

" Shhh. I think she's coming, " Alexis whispered.

" We'll touch bases later, " Rick replied under his breath.

As Kate re-entered the kitchen, she wrapped her arms around Castle's waist , kissing him lightly on the cheek.

" I'm sorry . I'm being so bitchy today. It's just that time is running out on us and I thought we'd enjoy planning and decorating the nursery together."

He lowered his head and placed a lingering kiss on her lips.

" Hey. You're an expectant mom doing what all expectant moms do best. Worry. But I promise you that we will get this done, you and me and we , will do it together ."

" Okay," she replied , tightening her arms around his waist.

He scrutinized her closely. " Hey. Are you okay? You look pale."

" I'm just tired , that's all. It seems like I'm tired all of the time, now."

" Okay. After dinner, I'm drawing a warm bath for you . "

She smiled up at him and kissed him. " That would be really great. Thank you."

* * *

After dinner, Rick lit candles in the bathroom, drew the water to fill the tub and added Kate's lavender scented bubble bath to the water.

He tested the temperature of the water and nodded for her to test it also.

Holding onto his arm for support , she stuck one foot into the warm water. Nodding her head in approval, he helped her lower herself into the water.

" Oh, this is Heaven , " she said .

He placed a small pillow on the back of the tub and as she leaned back to rest her head on the pillow, he set a lead, crystal cut glass bell on the side of the tub.

Leaning down to kiss her lightly, he said, "Okay. You lay there and relax and I'll be back in a few minutes to check on you. In the meantime, if you need me, just ring the bell."

As he turned to leave the bathroom, she said, " Rick, I love you."

" I love you, too. I'll be back."

* * *

He entered the kitchen to find his mother and Alexis sitting at the counter talking in soft tones.

" Okay , dad. What's the plan for tomorrow ?"

" Well, as soon as she leaves for the precinct in the morning, I am going to FAO Schwarz. I'm going to have a wicker baby basket filled with baby toys, stuffed animals and things like that delivered to her at work. Then, I'm off to Bloomingdale's. The only thing i haven't bought is a toy box and Bloomingdale's has ' Lightning McQueen' toy boxes.

" Won't she be suspicious when the basket arrives, ? " Alexis asked.

" I hope not , but she's used to finding a gift of some sort from some of the other detectives as well as some of the unis. By that time, it should be noon, so I'll call her and tell her that I've caught a lunch break and take her to lunch."

" What can I do to help ?" Martha asked.

" You 'll be here to let the delivery man in when he comes with the toy box. The key to unlock the nursery will be in the middle drawer of my desk…."

Martha nodded..

" Okay . Alexis, you're to meet me back here at 1:30. That way I can be here to help Eduardo in anyway I can. I'll give you my credit card and you can go to Bloomingdale's to pick up ' Cars ' crib sheets, a mobile, a baby quilt or two, bumper pads or whatever they call those padded things that go around the crib."

He stood and went to the linen closet next to the laundry room. Pulling a large, soft, terry cloth towel out of the closet, he tossed it into the dryer to warm it for Kate.

" I'm going to take Kate shopping at Macy's after work. Let her pick some things out and then stop by Remy's for a burger before we come here. Maybe that will ease her worries and keep her from getting more suspicious and make it appear more normal. Now, everyone knows what their part is, right?"

" Gram and I will go to dinner and see 'Grease' on Broadway, giving you and Kate some alone time"

" Right."

Setting the alarm on his watch to go off in 20 minutes, he headed back into the bathroom.

* * *

When he entered the bathroom, he rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, took the large, soft bath sponge and began to wash her back.

With each stroke of the sponge, she relaxed more.

She hated that she was so dependent on Rick now and for the most mundane things, like tying her shoes , helping her up and down, but with the weight she had gained carrying Monty, even doing the most mundane things seemed impossible. Not that she had gained a lot of weight, but with 23 extra pounds to carry in front of her things were a lot more difficult.

" I'm ready to get out now," she said .

" Good. I'll be right back. I put a towel in the dryer for you so that it would be nice and warm for you."

As he turned to go get the towel, she smiled up at him. "That's so sweet. Thank you."

He left the room to return carrying the towel from the dryer,

" Did the bath help?" he asked.

" Immensely," she replied.

He helped her to her feet and wrapped her into the warm towel.

She sighed contentedly at the warmth and softness of the towel as it enveloped her body.

Stepping from the tub, she snuggled as close as she could get into his embrace.

Burying her face into his shoulder, she murmured , " You take such excellent care of us and I love you so much."

He lowered his head and kissed her . " I love you, too."

" Enough to satisfy my intense craving? " she asked.

" Of course. What are you craving?"

" Monty's mommy is craving Monty's daddy , desperately." she answered.

The towel that he had so lovingly wrapped around her slid to a pool at her feet.

'" Well , Monty's daddy has to take very good care of Monty's mommy and he's very good at that."

" He's perfect at that," she teased.

" Well, crave no more, " he said, scooping her up in his arms and carrying her to the bedroom.

* * *

He was jolted awake by a solid blow to his chest. Owww ! What the hell ! Kate had just sucker punched him in the chest.

Fully awake, he sat up rubbing the sore spot on his chest as Kate sat bolt upright in the bed Her breathing was rapid as if she had been running a marathon and she had been thrashing around just before she sat up.

He tried to put his arms around her to calm her and find out what in the hell was going on, but she struggled away from him.

He switched on the lamp on the nightstand and saw the panic stricken look on her face, as well as the labored, rapid breathing and she was drenched in perspiration. She was having a nightmare. He tried to put his arms around her to soothe her.

" Shhh, honey. Shhh. It's okay," he murmured , trying to reassure her, comfort her.

" No, Rick. ! The babies are crying. I have to get to the babies! E." she pleaded.

" What? No, honey. Monty isn't here, yet. Listen. There are no babies crying. You must have been dreaming. "

He tried once again to hold her, reassure her. He gently brushed her hair away from her face and she relaxed a bit.

" See ? There are no babies here. And they are not crying. Listen. It's okay. Shhhhh. It's only a dream. See?"

She cast furtive glances around the room and listened closely only to find that the room had not changed magically filling with crying babies . Babies were nowhere to be seen and the only sounds in the room was the sound of their voices and the peace and quiet of the loft.

So, it was only a dream.

" It was so real ! I heard the baby crying and got up to take care of him. I had him taken care of , but then there was a different baby crying and as soon as I took care of one, there was another, and another until I had a room full of crying babies and nowhere to put them."

He could not help but laugh.

" Do not laugh! Richard Castle, You do not laugh !"

" I'm not laughing. Okay. I was a little bit."

Now, he felt guilty as hell for stonewalling her on this, plus he had lied to her repeatedly. Maybe he should just come out and tell her what he had been up to. Maybe he should have just complied with her wishes from the start.

It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her, but, instead he said " Honey , we're only having one baby, and one baby only."

" How do you know that for sure? There have been cases where all the tests have revealed that there is only one baby, but when it comes time to deliver , the mother gives birth to more than one. It happens. So, don't make fun, okay?"

"I'm not and I won't, I promise."

Okay. She was totally freaking out and what was worse is she was now freaking him out, too. A little bit.

" Kate, sweetheart. I know that it happens, but that is not the case with us. You are overreacting and that's okay. You are worried about not having the nursery done and so you dreamed about it. That's all . It was just a dream."

Kate sighed heavily. " Maybe you're right."

" And if that were to happen to us, we'd handle it."

" I know we would."

" Okay. We both have long days ahead of us tomorrow. Can we please try to get some sleep?"

Kate yawned, " Okay. Good night, Babe. Sorry, i woke you," she said , leaning across to kiss him goodnight again.

" You'll see. This week-end, we will have this all figured out, I promise."

" Okay," she said, sliding back down into the covers.

* * *

Brilliant sunshine filled the bedroom as Kate awakened the next morning.

She opened her eyes to see Castle standing over her with a bed tray.

" Good morning", she said, smiling up at him. Scrubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she managed to sit up in bed.

" Good morning, sleepy head ," he said, setting the tray on the nightstand and bending to kiss her good morning.

" What's this ?" she asked, tilting her head to indicate the tray.

" For now it's just juice, toast, and coffee until I get breakfast ready."

" Babe, you know that I'm not supposed to have coffee."

" I know. But you've been so good about watching what you eat and I thought that after last night, you could use it."

She groaned, " Oh, I've missed having my coffee. If I drink that, I'll be jittery all day and I'll probably get heartburn."

He watched as Kate eyed the coffee, weighing her options.

" C'mon. You know that you want it. Just a little sip," he teased.

" Of course, I want it, but If I take one sip, I won't stop with one."

" Well, you won't mind if I have mine, I hope," he said, picking up his cup.

She watched as the rim of the cup met his lips and he took a sip.

" Ahh. That's the stuff. Flavor country.", he sighed.

Losing the battle with temptation,. she took her cup from the tray and sighed contentedly as the savory liquid hit her palette.

" The hell with it! I'll deal with it later, " she said, taking another sip of the ambrosia.

* * *

After breakfast, he walked her to the door.

Taking her in his arms, he leaned down and kissed her tenderly.

" I hate leaving you. I wish I didn't have to go in," she said with a heavy sigh.

" Well, maybe we should talk about you taking maternity leave now."

Tightening her arms around his waist and laying her face against his chest, she replied, " We'll talk about it later, okay?"

Kissing the top of her head, he said, " Okay. I guess you should get started. I'll be leaving in a few minutes to go to my meeting. Hope you have a great day."

She pulled back slightly and smiled at him. " You have a good meeting with Paula and Gina. But don't forget that you have a very loving and jealous and pregnant wife to come home to," she teased.

" Like I could forget that. You are the only woman I want to come home to. Believe me. You have absolutely, positively nothing to worry about. If I catch a break later, I'll call you and we'll have lunch together."

" Okay. Bye," she said, giving him a lingering kiss.

" Love you"

" Love you, too."

He waited until she had been gone for ten minutes before he rushed out the door behind her.

* * *

As soon as she exited the elevator and arrived in the bull pen, she saw that someone had already placed a couple of gifts on her desk.

It wasn't that she didn't appreciate all of their thoughtfulness and generosity, she did. But with the box she had already taken home to put in the closet and the small carton she had in her locker, it was getting to the point that it was overwhelming.

As she passed Captain Gates office, Gates joined her.

" How are you feeling this morning , Kate? " Gates asked, as she sat in Castle's chair beside Kate's desk.

Kate sat her bag on her desk and smiled. " Oh, you know. The regular maladies of pregnancy. Braxton Hicks, shortness of breath because of the extra baby weight that I've_ gained_. Other than the fact that my feet feel like I've got box cars for feet. Oh, wait! I don't even know if I have feet, anymore because I can't see them, anymore. Other than those factors, I guess I feel pretty good."

Captain Gates laughed, " I remember those days , but, trust me. once you hold that little bundle of joy in your arms, this will all be a distant memory and this will all be worth while."

" Oh, it's an exciting time and experience for both of us. And I can hardly wait for the day. It's funny, you know? There was a time when I didn't think it was possible to be this much in love and this happy. I just hope that I can be the type of mother that this child deserves."

" You'll do fine, Detective. Being a parent is always a learning, hands on experience. You learn as you go. Oh, I brought you something this morning, " Gates said, nodding to a package in the center of Kate's desk.

" This is from you?"

" It's just something I've been working on in my spare time. Go ahead. Open it."

Kate opened the rectangular package on her desk to reveal a beautiful, hand knitted light blue baby blanket. It was exquisite.

" Oh, sir. It's beautiful ! Thank you ! "

Captain Gates shrugged. " It gave me something to do in the evenings while watching tv."

" I'll always treasure this . Thank-you, sir." Kate replied.

" Uh, Kate, I know that you said that you wanted to work up until the last possible moment and this is none of my business, but are you sure that you don't want to take maternity leave to get prepared for the baby?"

" Why ? Do you think I should? " Kate asked.

" No. And it's not that your loyalty and dedication aren't appreciated, but your talents are being wasted behind this desk, filing. You should be out in the field,, not behind this desk filing. Because of your pregnancy and as your Captain, I cannot allow you to go out on the streets. "

" Oh, sir, I know and I understand. I appreciate all of your concern, but it's fine. Really."

" Wouldn't you rather be at home getting ready for the baby? I remember the fun my husband and I had during this time with our children and I'd hate for you to miss out on that."

" You know, Castle mentioned that this morning as I was leaving. We haven't had a chance to really discuss it, but I promise to give it some thought and let you know next week, if that's okay."

Captain Gates laughed, " Far be it from me that Mr. Castle and I would agree on ANYTHING , but I think he might be right. Just think about it and let me know."

Kate laughed. Everyone knew that there was no love loss between Castle and Captain Gates. " Yes, sir. Thank you, sir. I will let you know."

* * *

Rick's day was definitely not going according to his plan. Even though, he had left the loft only minutes after Kate, time had not been on his side. He had gone to Bloomingdale's to purchase the toy chest, only to find that they had sold the last one in stock last night. Disappointed, but determined that he was going through with his plan, he had selected a cherry wood chest. Well, he would check other stores for the toy chest later, using the cherry chest until they could find and replace it with ' Lightning Mc Queen' later. He had happened by a display of some Yankee onesies, and a newborn Yankee outfit complete with hat, booties, and a blanket and bib.

After making arrangements for the chest to be delivered, he paid for the Yankee outfits and hurried out to go to FAO Schwartz. Half way down E. 58th, there was a fender bender that caused a grid lock for 20 minutes. He had been tempted to abandon the cab and walk the rest of the way when the traffic began to clear and he was on his way once again.

At FAO Schwartz, he went to Customer Service and explained that he wanted a wicker gift basket for a baby boy wrapped with a few baby toys, a stuffed baby elephant, and his purchases from Bloomingdale's added to it. It needed to be rush delivered to Detective Kate Castle at the 12th precinct. There would be no card and it needed to be delivered by 11:30. The rep had assured him that for an added fee, his gift would be delivered on time.

On his way out the door, he passed a ' Lightning Mc Queen ' toy chest. Damn it! He found a clerk and went back and bought the toy chest, but it would take 2 days to be delivered. He paid for the chest, and filled out the delivery form and was on his way again.

* * *

About 11:30, the elevator dinged and Kate looked up to see a delivery guy carrying a huge wicker basket, wrapped in clear cellophane with a large blue bow and streamers on top step out.

" Is there a Detective Kate Castle here? "

" Over here", Kate replied. This was unusual. Most of her colleagues dropped gifts off at her desk, not have them delivered .

As the delivery guy approached, Kate reached for her bag and dug out a few bills for a tip.

" What a lovely gift idea, " Captain Gates remarked, coming out of her office to join Kate.

Kate picked up the basket and as she admired the contents of the basket through the cellophane, she looked for a card.

" Yes, it is, but I don't know who to thank. There is no card."

Inside the basket was a silver picture frame, a plush, stuffed baby elephant, a New York Yankees new born baby outfit complete with baby booties, cap , and bib and blanket, and various other baby toys and rattles. There was also 3 New York Yankees baby onesies.

" Ahhh. It must be from my dad. We're both baseball fans. He started taking me to games when I was 3. I've always loved elephants. My mom used to sing ' Baby Of Mine' to me when I was little. She used to cuddle with me on the couch and we'd watch ' Dumbo' together until I realized what happened to Dumbo's mother and we had to stop watching it because it made me sad to watch it."

" Funny that you should mention that I used to sing ' Baby Of Mine' to my kids, as well. It is a beautiful lullaby."

"Yes, it is," Kate agreed.

* * *

About noon the elevator dinged again and Castle stepped off.

" Hey. You managed to catch a break, I see," she said, standing to give him a kiss.

" Yes, I did. I didn't know who all would be here so I brought in a bucket of chicken and some sides for whomever wanted to have lunch with us. Captain Gates , I brought chicken, would you like to have lunch with us?"

" Why, I don't mind if I do. Thank- you, Mr. Castle. I'll be right there."

Kate smiled. In spite of their personal feelings for each other, at times, they could keep up good appearances.

" Where are the boys ?" Rick asked.

" Oh, they caught a case, but they should be back anytime,"

They carried the food into the break room and started unpacking the bags.

" Listen, honey, I was thinking about the nursery…."

" You were thinking about the nursery? That's new. So what do you think?"

Here it comes! And Booh Yah! he thought to himself.

" Well, I was thinking that we could hire my interior decorator to come in and decorate it for us."

" WHAT? You've got to be kidding me right now! " Kate exclaimed .

" No, I just thought…"

" Well, you thought wrong! I thought this was something the two of us would enjoy doing, but I guess I was wrong about that! Looks like I'll be doing the nursery on my own." she retorted, sending him a scathing look.

" Aww, honey, c'mon. I meant no harm and if it's that important to you, we'll do it this week-end.."

" It's that important to me, Rick, and I'm surprised that it's not that important to you."

They dropped the conversation because Captain Gates and the boys came in about then.

The topic of conversation through lunch was centered around the case that Ryan and Esposito had picked up that morning.

After lunch, Rick checked his watch. " Oh, crap! I've got to go or I'll be late," he exclaimed, rising to his feet.

He gave Kate a quick, chaste kiss and said that he would be back later to pick her up . As the elevator doors slid shut, he smiled. Good. The seeds of suspicion were planted in Kate's mind. He could not wait until tonight.

* * *

He was back at the precinct at 4:45 to pick Kate up.

" Wow! You're here a lot earlier than I expected." she said, giving him a quick kiss.

" Yeah . The witches of Black Pawn turned me loose a little earlier than I expected. So I was thinking that we could do some of that shopping for the baby and then have a burger at Remy's before going home."

" Do you mind if we don't? "

" What ? Why ? You've been all over me for a month to do this."

" I know. It's just that I'm really kind of tired tonight. It can wait until this weekend, right? Right now , I just want to go home and soak in a warm bath and maybe watch some tv."

" Okay. Quiet evening at home it is, then."

As if noticing the gift basket for the first time, he picked it up and examined it.

" Cute gift idea. Who gave it to you ?"

" Actually, I'm not sure. It was delivered this morning shortly after I arrived , but there was no card. If I had to guess, I'd say it came from my dad."

" Oh ? Why is that?"

" Well, the Yankees outfits are kind of a give away. You know how big a baseball fan he is. I'll bet that he has Monty at a baseball game before he's 3."

" Yeah. You're probably right. Ready to go?"

" Sure. Just let me get my bag."

* * *

On the ride home she filled him in on the wonders ( more appropriately, lack of) filing and the progress of Ryan and Esposito's case. Lord, she hated paper work. He knew that she hated not being able to go out into the field and was probably bored to death every day she went in to work. At least, until after the baby was born, that was what she had to look forward to.

" Do you remember when I left for work this morning and you asked if I thought I should go ahead and start my maternity leave? Captain Gates asked me the same thing this morning."

" What did you tell her?"

" That I'd think about it and let her know next week."

" Okay. So you really haven't decided, yet. Honey, I get that you feel safe there and you are protected, but do you really think by staying until the last possible moment is a wise idea?"

" Yeah. I'm totally protected, surrounded by people who love and support us, it's not that far from the hospital"

" Well, whatever decision you make, I'll respect and support you."

" I know and thank you for that."

" You sure you don't want to stop for a bite to eat before we go home?" Rick asked.

" Can we just go home and order in? Maybe see what Martha and Alexis would like."

" Mother and Alexis are going to see ' Grease' on Broadway tonight, so it will just be the two of us," Rick answered.

" Oh, okay. Well, why don't we have Chinese delivered?"

" Sounds good to me, " Rick replied.

* * *

At the loft, they met Martha and Alexis as they were leaving.

" Bye, guys. Have fun tonight" Kate said

" Thank you, Katherine. I'm sure of it . Don't wait up for us because I'm sure we'll be late," Martha replied.

Kate took the handmade quilt that Captain Gates had given her and the large basket to their room and then rejoined Rick in the livingroom where he had just called in their food order.

" Okay. Dinner should be here in about 30 minutes. What do you say after dinner, I draw you a warm bath, we get comfortable , I'll microwave some popcorn and we watch some tv ?" he asked, kneeling to help her remove her shoes.

" Sounds good to me," she replied.

* * *

After dinner, he drew her a warm bath and helped her into the tub.

" Are you okay? " he asked once she was settled safely in the tub..

" Yeah. This is heaven. Yeah. I'm good . " she answered.

" Good. I think I'll take a shower while you are soaking. If you're ready, when I get out, I'll wash your back for you."

" Sure, babe. Go ahead. I'll be fine."

Rick stepped into the shower and turned the hot water and shower jets on full blast. He sighed as the hot water hit his skin. It was the first sigh of relief he'd had all day. Or so it felt. As the steam rose and curled around him , he was torn with indecision

He was so excited to surprise Kate with the nursery , but the room wasn't exactly ready, in spite of all of his well intended plans

At 1:30, according to his plan, he had met Alexis back at the loft and given her his credit card so she could go out and buy whatever she could that was ' Cars' themed, have her purchases gift wrapped and return to the loft.

Rick and Eduardo worked all afternoon putting the crib and play yard together, but time had run out on them and they didn't have the time to arrange the furniture. They had shoved the furniture to one side of the room because it was almost time to go get Kate.

Just as he was about to leave for the precinct, Alexis had arrived. With the time it took to have each purchase gift wrapped she had also run out of time, but had somehow, made it back to the loft just minutes before the late afternoon traffic hit it's peak. They put the wrapped packages in the baby crib and Rick had left for the precinct.

Maybe he should wait until tomorrow night to show her, giving himself a little more time to work on it. But how much longer could he stonewall her? She had been so worried about not having the nursery ready that she had nightmares last night. He didn't want to worry her unduly.

No. It had to be tonight. No more worrying her.

Having made his decision, he turned the shower off and stepped out to find Kate laying against the back of the tub with her eyes closed.

" Honey, are you okay?"

" Mmmm hmmm. Just need a few more minutes," she murmured.

" Okay. Good. There's no rush ."

He brushed his teeth and dressed in a clean pair of pajama bottoms and his robe. As he was getting a clean pair of pajamas for Kate, he noticed the gifts she had acquired through the day. Gathering them up with the basket, he took them into the nursery and put them in the crib along with the others and quietly left the room, pulling the door closed behind him.

* * *

" Okay. I'm ready for you to wash my back now , " Kate informed him, when he came back into the bathroom.

He leaned down and kissed her sweetly and began washing her back.

She sighed contentedly as he ran the soft bath sponge down her back.

After he had helped her from the tub , dried her off and helped her into a clean pair of sweatpants and one of his tee-shirts, he took of her hands .

Bringing of her hands to his lips and lightly kissed her knuckles.

" You know that I love you more than I ever could have imagined it was possible to love someone, right?"

"Of course.", she replied.

Feeling so guilty for having lied to her for so long, even if had been to surprise her, he squeezed both of her hands.

"Please, don't be mad at me," he said.

She reached up and lovingly stroked the side of his face.

"Why would I be mad at you? You haven't done anything wrong."

Still grasping her hand, he said, "Come with me".

Pulling her behind him, he led her through the bedroom to his office.

Once they were standing behind his desk, he turned to face her.

"I have something I want to show you, but first I need to tell you that I didn't have a meeting with Paula and Gina today. I was working on something else today."

He had lied to her? But, why ? And about what?

She swallowed past the lump that had formed in her throat. Hurt, Doubt, and confusion slammed into her and she took a step back from him.

Seeing the range of emotions cross her beautiful face and how hurt and confused she was, he knew that he had mishandled this part . He knew instantly what she was thinking.

Shaking his head no, he said, " Not like that. I could never do that to you, to us. I love you, too much for that. And, frankly, I'm a little hurt that you would even think that."

"Okay. Why did you lie to me and why did you feel like you had to lie? What was so important that you lied?"

" This,", he replied, opening the door to the nursery and flipping on the light.

She stood there in stunned silence as she surveyed the room, a whole range of emotions crossing her lovely features. Again.

"I realize that it's somewhat chaotic in here and I apologize, but I ran out of time. We'll put it together."

She let out a nervous laugh.

"What?... How did you even?... You let me think..."

" I was going to wait until tomorrow night to show you and give myself another day because my plans didn't work out exactly as I had planned. But I remembered your nightmare last night and I just wanted to spare you that ordeal," Rick explained.

"So you planned this and that's why you stonewalled me at every turn and lied to me?"

"Yes. I know that you wanted us to do this together and I got excited and I jumped the gun and I'm sorry. Look, if there is anything that you don't like or have changed your mind about, it's not too late to fix it or change it,"

" No, I love it ! " she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him so hard his teeth rattled.

"I'm really sorry that we didn't have time to arrange the furniture, but I promise I ll get that done this weekend."

"Oh, Babe. It's perfect! You have done a wonderful job and I love you so much! This is perfect. Thank You," she replied, standing on tip toe, kissing him again.

" There is more that I need to tell you", he said, ushering her into the room and pulling out the rocking chair for her to sit.

" I have more to confess,", he continued as she sat in the rocking chair.

She leaned back and waited for him to continue.

" You know that basket that was delivered this morning? It's not from your dad. I sent it."

" So you sent the basket to keep me suspicious?"

" Yeah. Pretty much. And honestly, I'm surprised that it worked."

Smiling at him, she shook her head and said, "You really had me going."

" Yeah. I even surprised myself. I'm a better liar than I thought. Pretty hard to fool NYPDs finest detective. So, you're not mad at me?"

" Babe, how can I possibly be mad at you? Look at all you did to surprise me. And you succeeded."

" Yeah, but I lied to you."

" I know , but you lied for all the right reasons."

" Is there ever a good reason to lie ? Especially to someone you love?"

Kate hesitated before she answered, " Oh, no. You're right. And you did cause me to worry and scared the hell out of me. Remind me to punish you later." Kate giggled.

He leaned down and kissed her. "Please, tell me you'll punish me accordingly."

Kate laughed and answered, " To the fullest extent of the law, mister . Now, why don't you get a chair and let's open these gifts together?"

He went into his office and returned with his office chair, positioning it in front of her so that they would be facing each other.

Taking one package at a time out of the crib and placing it on her lap, each of them would untape an end, allowing them both to open the gifts together.

The last gift they opened was a wooden, painted wall plaque with Monty in raised letters, each letter painted in a different color.

Rick gathered all the wrapping paper from the floor, but Kate wanted to save the ribbons and bows just as they had done with their wedding gifts, so he went in search for a wire clothes hanger as well. Lucky for him, he had just gotten his blue suit from the dry cleaners and was able to produce one.

After they had threaded the ribbons onto the hanger, Rick took her hand and helped her out of the rocking chair..

He piled the gifts into the crib and said, "We'll work on putting these away once we have the room in order."

"Remind me to thank Alexis and Martha for their participation in this in the morning. This has been the perfect evening and I love you so much," Kate said, squeezing his hand.

Smiling at her, he replied, " I love you, too. Now, let's go watch some tv."

" Have you forgotten? You're under arrest? "

" Oh, you're right., " he replied, wrapping his arm around her waist. "So, what's the plan? Frisk me first and then cuff me? Please, tell me you're going to cuff me."

Kate laughed and wrapping her arm around his waist, said, " Let's go."

* * *

She loved watching him sleep. Kate lay on her side, propped up on her elbow with her hand resting on his bare chest. It would be so easy to rile him up again for round 2. All that would be necessary would be to slide her hand down beneath the sheet and begin to kiss him awake and his response would be immediate

She tamped down the idea, deciding to wait for a while.

Pregnancy and restlessness went hand in hand, like the other maladies. Just because she couldn't sleep didn't mean that he shouldn't. Not that he would mind if she did give in to that temptation. He wouldn't.

Instead, she very lightly kissed the side of his mouth and whispered, " Sweet dreams, my love.".

Kate sat up to reposition herself onto her other side and glanced at the digital clock on the nightstand. It was 2:30 a. m.

After an hour of watching the minutes tick by on the clock, Kate decided to just go ahead and get up for a while. Very quietly and very slowly, she eased herself into a sitting position, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed.

Taking care not to wake Rick, she picked up the journal and pen that she kept by the bed and headed for the nursery.

Flipping on the light switch, she closed the door but left it ajar a few inches so the light would not disturb Rick.

She pulled the rocking chair away from the wall and sat. Surveying the room again, she shook her head and wondered, : How the hell he had managed to pull this off ! She knew him. She knew all of his tells, could tell when he was lying and yet, in spite of being a top homicide detective with N .Y .P .D. she had not seen this coming.

Smiling, she opened the journal and began to write :

" Monty, tonight, I am so overwhelmed with love, my love for you and your dad and our family, and yet, the best to come is still a few weeks away. The day you are born, will be the happiest day and the most important day of my life. We love you more than words can ever say, and are so excited for your arrival.

Tonight, your dad surprised me by having all the furniture and your room all ready to decorate and that's what we will be doing this weekend.

Next week we finish our childbirth classes. I am so proud of your dad. He has and will be by side every step of the way. He is so loving and supportive and every bit as excited as I am. He will stop at nothing to love and protect the ones he loves . We are so lucky to have him. And I love him so much and I know you do, too. ":

A flash of lightning flashed through the windows followed by a distant rumble of thunder . A thunderstorm was approaching from the west.

Kate laid the journal on the floor beside her.

She surveyed the room again, shaking her head in wonder.

Her eyes fell on the crib and the gifts they had opened and then placed there until they could start putting the room together.

The plush baby elephant that he had delivered to her at work sat atop the pile.

Smiling, she took the elephant and held it.

How was it even possible to be so much in love and this happy? It was astounding !

The thunder and lightning reverbrated through the loft and rain had begun to pelt the windows. Thunderstorms always reminded her of the night she thought she had lost him and all hope of him ever loving her again. The thought of that made her shiver. Thank God, that had not happened, but that night had changed everything for the good. Never, ever had she imagined that love could be this good. That was the night that she knew that she was hopelessly, wildly, desparately in love with Rick and that he really truly loved her as much as she loved him. It's funny how you imagine what real love would feel like, but until you experience it, you have no idea.

And through that uncontrolable, unstoppable, love that they had for each other had produced this tiny, wonderful, yet to be born, incredible miracle.

Glancing down at the stuffed elephant in her hands she giggled and said, " Well, you do resemble " Dumbo". A distant memory of being 3 years old and cuddling with her mom on the couch watching the movie invaded her thoughts.

Settling back into the rocking chair, she rested her head against the back of the chair Closing her eyes and going back to that time in her life, she began to quietly and softly sing.

" Baby Of Mine"

Baby mine, don't you cry

Baby mine, dry your eyes

Rest your head near my heart

Never to part

Baby of mine

Little one when you play

Pay no heed to what they say

Let your eyes sparkle and shine

Never a tear

Baby of mine

If they knew all about you

They'd end up loving you, too.

All those same people who scold you

What they'd give just for the

right to hold you.

From your head to your toes

You're not much goodness knows

But you're so precious to me

Sweet as can be

Baby of mine.

Castle cleared his throat causing her to open her eyes and sit up.

He was leaning against the door frame between his office and the nursery.

" That was beautiful , honey"", he said as he entered the room.

Kate smiled up at him. " Kind of melancholy, don't you think? I didn't realize that until just now. Are there any lullabies out there that aren't so sad or having babies dropping from tree tops?"

" Sure there are .. How about ' Somewhere Over The Rainbow' or ' You Are My Sunshine ', ' Hush Little Baby ' 'Brahm's Lullaby ' ' Twinkle, Twinkle , Little Star '' And what has my beautiful wife awake at this hour? Another nightmare?"

" No, nothing like that. I don't know. Just excited, I guess. I hope I didn't wake you."

" No. You didn't . So, you don't like " Baby Of Mine" or "Rock A Bye Baby"? "

" No. Don't get me wrong. I was practically raised on both of those songs, especially " Baby Of Mine". And I still love those songs. I guess. I was just being a little too emotional when I said that. My mom used to sing that song to me and we used to cuddle on the couch and watch " Dumbo" together and I was just wishing that she could be here to share in our joy . She would be so proud and happy, Castle."

" I know. And wherever she is, she is very happy and proud, but you have a long day ahead of you tomorrow. Come, let's go back to bed, " he replied, extending his hand to help her from the rocking chair.

Taking his hand she said, " Oh. Remember this morning when you mentioned my maternity leave?"

When he nodded, she continued, " I've made my decision."

" And what choice did you make ?", he asked, pulling her into his arms.

" , I've decided that tomorrow morning I'm going to tell Captain Gates that I want to start my leave beginning next week. My due date isn't that far away and I want to spend the remainder of my pregnancy here at home with you."

Kissing the top of her head, he said, " Wise choice ." and continued to hold her.

They continued to hold each other and after several long moments, Rick said, "It's raining", stating the obvious.

Kate tightened her arms around his waist and laughed.

" Yeah. It' has been for a while."

Neither of them moved, not wanting to break the spell, only to cherish this moment.

Finally, Rick asked , " Do you know what I think about when it rains like this?"

She pulled back just enough to look up at him.

" Our first night together ?"

"Exactly that. You think about it , too." he answered, holding her close. " That wonderful, magical night. You wouldn't want to try to recreate it now, would you?"

She smiled up at him. " Do you think we can? That was one very special night. Do you think we can rekindle that magic, that passion, our first time ?"

" Honey, every night we spend together is just as magical and passionate and special and always will be to me,"

" Then what are we waiting for?"

He swept her up in his arms and carried her to their bedroom.

A/N OMG! I had no idea that this one would be so long! Due to it's length, I am leaving this here for now. I probably should have divided this into a couple of chapters, but later, I'd like to group each story together into a series.

You have my apologies for taking so long to update and I have no excuses except writer's block and computer problems. Once I got back into the story, it just seemed to flow and that's why it's so long. I am currently working on ideas for the conclusion of this story line and plan on updating this soon.

Anyway, thanks for your patience, taking the time to read , favor and follow and leave your reviews . You guys make my day.


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